PLC honors awardees, elects president
The 56th Annual Public Lands Council (PLC) Meeting took place Sept. 17-19 in Grand Junction, Colo. During the last day of the event, PLC recognized two outstanding individuals and named their new president.
Individuals honored
Wyoming’s Dick Loper was among the two individuals honored by PLC, receiving the 2024 Friend of PLC Award for his work as a range consultant and advocate of public lands grazing since the early 1980s.
According to a Sept. 24 PLC press release, Loper’s relationships with staff and political officials in the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Department of Interior have “provided key insight and opportunities to improve conditions for permittees and rural communities.”
“During his legendary career, Loper has worked extensively with state and federal agencies, grazing permittees and other agriculture organizations, and his contributions continue to impact decisions today,” reads the release.
PLC President Tim Canterbury presented Loper with his award, stating, “Loper is a great friend to all grazing permittees and has worked tirelessly to improve range management on public lands for the land and for the ranchers. He has provided a tremendous amount of support for our industry and has consistently promoted all of the benefits grazing has on the landscape.”
“Sheep and cattle producers are so grateful to Loper for his commitment and service to this industry. Generations of ranchers will benefit from Loper’s expertise and passion to better manage our nation’s treasured natural resources,” Canterbury continues.
Nevada Department of Agriculture Director Dr. J.J. Goicoechea was also recognized at the meeting.
In addition to serving on the Nevada Department of Agriculture, Goicoechea helps run his century-old family ranch and has been a Eureka County commissioner, a veterinarian and an active member of PLC and the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association.
“No one wears more hats in this industry than Goicoechea, and public lands ranchers are better off because of his tireless work,” states outgoing PLC President Mark Roeber. “He has fought for our industry and has been an advocate for livestock producers for decades.”
“I am proud to be able to work alongside Goicoechea to protect and promote our ranching heritage, and it is my honor to present this award to him, on behalf of all grazing permittees,” Roeber adds. “His work to strengthen the livestock industry is unparalleled, and he continues to be a national leader in all issues related to animal health, public lands, livestock production and environmental stewardship.”
President named
As PLC’s 56th annual meeting came to an end, Canterbury was announced as the new PLC president.
According to a Sept. 20 PLC press release, Canterbury owns and operates his family ranch in Howard, Colo., where they have been ranching since 1879. He has previously served as a member of the PLC Board of Directors, president of the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association and chair of the Colorado Public Lands Council.
“Canterbury is the consummate rancher and advocate for this industry, who always finds the time to promote public lands ranching. We have seen incredible engagement at our annual meeting this week, with ranchers from every western state weighing in on policy which will affect the direction of PLC and the work the new officer team will take on,” says PLC Executive Director Kaitlynn Glover.
“As a fifth-generation rancher who has been involved in livestock associations for decades, I could not be more honored to serve as president and continue fighting for federal lands ranchers,” Canterbury states.
“We are at a critical period in our industry, where it seems like every agency’s rulemaking will make it harder to continue ranching on public lands. At the same time, there are more scientific studies than ever showing the benefits ranching has on wildlife, native plants and the landscape,” he continues. “It is important we protect this industry from false narratives and defend the principles of multiple use against those who want to push livestock off of the landscape because we are proud to be stewards of these working lands.”
The 2024-25 PLC officer team, approved by PLC general voting delegates, assumed their new roles at the end of this year’s annual meeting. Ron Cerri of Nevada was named vice president and Robbie LeValley of Colorado was named secretary.
Hannah Bugas is the managing editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@wylr.net.
